Dog Food....suggestions

Epi4Dogs Foundation Inc.’s mission is the advancement of science and education relating to EPI (Exocrine Pancreatic Insufficiency), yielding useful insights and positive outcomes in better managing EPI in dogs and cats. Our goals are to support and/or collaborate with veterinary EPI research and researchers, and to promote EPI awareness by educating the general public, pet owners, pet organizations, rescue and shelter organizations, veterinary schools and veterinarians.
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jrose0315
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Country: United States
State: Pennsylvania

Dog Food....suggestions

Post by jrose0315 » 27 Nov 2019, 07:50

I've had my GSD Kahlua on Purina ONE True Instinct for a year now. He was doing VERY WELL. Gained a TON of weight. Over the last month I've noticed a significant weight loss. No change in Poop though, still firm and formed.
The Purina ONE TI is grain free and 3% fiber, which was perfect bc ALL my dogs can eat it.
Does anyone feed Pro Plan? Or does anyone feed a premium dog food that ISN'T grain free?
In a conversation with my vet (old guy)....he said Pro Plan is the better of the two foods and is actually significantly more digestible than ONE. Pro Plan does have Grain Free, but it's HIGHLY expensive for smaller bags AND I'm not noticing a huge difference in ingredients compared to ONE TI?
Thoughts on Sensitive Skin and Stomach Salmon & rice or Lamb & rice?
I'm also looking at the FortiFlora probiotic. I do use the Slippery Elm, but on a daily basis gives Kahlua loose stools. When he has an upset belly, it's great to head off the use of Tylan but not on a daily basis.
I just don't understand the weight loss. I did increase his enzymes a little but haven't noticed a difference.
He's schedule to see his vet December 10th (a different vet than my "regular" vet) but Dr P is more open to suggestions and she will encourage some changes. My regular vet is an older guy that still is convinced EPI is GSD's only and enzymes only solve the problem. LOL. ;-)
Any suggestions from the group would be GREATLY appreciated. I thought I had this EPI crap down to a science with Kahlua....apparently not!

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jilbert57
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Posts: 2089
Country: United States
State: Washington

Re: Dog Food....suggestions

Post by jilbert57 » 27 Nov 2019, 09:34

I read through all of your posts. Is Kahlua confirmed Epi by the Tli test?
Usually pets do better without grains. Some dogs are ok with them.
My name is Jill and we live on the Hood Canal in Washington State. We currently have 2 Jack russells, TJ is 8 and Sadie is 2.

Mickey and his pancreatitis brought me to Epi4dogs.com site in 2012 to help manage it.
He lived from 6/99 - 8/2014

Mickey, Jack Russell. Chronic Pancreatitis. Dianes enzymes, 1/8t 3x/day with meals.

ColtAn2
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Posts: 4
Country: Belgium
Pet name: Strela
My name: Olivier

Re: Dog Food....suggestions

Post by ColtAn2 » 27 Nov 2019, 10:26

I wanted to know, which kinds of EPI-friendly dog food are available in Southern Europe? I was looking at moving to one of these houses in Greece in the medium to long term, with my Scotch Collie of course, and that means feeding her appropriately.

jrose0315
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Posts: 9
Country: United States
State: Pennsylvania

Re: Dog Food....suggestions

Post by jrose0315 » 28 Nov 2019, 06:58

Jill, yes he is definitely confirmed EPI. Diagnosed as a puppy at 8 months old. I have all his bloodwork and vet records. He is 3 yrs old now. I’ve had him for just over 1 year now.

Barb
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Country: United States
State: New Jersey

Re: Dog Food....suggestions

Post by Barb » 28 Nov 2019, 15:33

How is his B12? Do you give him B12 supplements?

Also, sometimes, we get so used to dealing with EPI in our pups and trying to manage it more effectively that we overlook the possibility that something going on with our dog might not be EPI related. This has happened to many of us and we have had to back up a bit to get a broader look. Since, his poos are not affected and everything else seems steady, when you go to the vet, you might want to explore with him/her if there are any other conditions that start with weight loss that you could be overlooking. I'm not saying this is the case, but you just don't want to miss anything.

But also let us know about the B12.

Barb

jrose0315
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Posts: 9
Country: United States
State: Pennsylvania

Re: Dog Food....suggestions

Post by jrose0315 » 28 Nov 2019, 20:30

Yes, he is on B12 with intrinsic factor from wonderlabs.
I’ve been looking back at any changes and the only thing I can think of is we did reduce his B12 from 3 capsules per day to two. His B12 levels were low when I got him a year ago. They tested ok a few months back, we reduced him to the recommended dose of 2. Other than that, he’s had no changes.
I’ve put him back up to 3.
I will definitely talk to his Vet and see what she suggests.

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jilbert57
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Country: United States
State: Washington

Re: Dog Food....suggestions

Post by jilbert57 » 30 Nov 2019, 10:25

Good choice to bump B12 back up. When it was retested it should be above 600.
Let us know what the vet says.

Jill
My name is Jill and we live on the Hood Canal in Washington State. We currently have 2 Jack russells, TJ is 8 and Sadie is 2.

Mickey and his pancreatitis brought me to Epi4dogs.com site in 2012 to help manage it.
He lived from 6/99 - 8/2014

Mickey, Jack Russell. Chronic Pancreatitis. Dianes enzymes, 1/8t 3x/day with meals.

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Madelon
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Location: Nashville, TN
Country: United States
State: Tennessee
Pet name: Doc

Re: Dog Food....suggestions

Post by Madelon » 09 Dec 2019, 13:49

Just wanted to see how Kahlua is doing. Did increasing the B12 help? I had my boy on 2 WonderLab pills a day for about 2 years and then tried to reduce to 1 pill a day - he lost 6lbs. When I went back to 2 pills a day he gained the 6lbs back. As for food, if he's doing well on it I personally would not change it - that being said, you might want to contact the company and see if they made any changes to the formula of the food - they don't have to change the packaging to show the changes for a few months - they're given a grace period. If you went back to the original dose of B12 and he has not gained the weight back then you might want to have an appointment with the vet and make sure there isn't something non-EPI going on. If you use FortiFlora start off slowly using 1/2 the recommended dose and watch the poops - if all goes well then you can slowly increase to the full dose. But remember, only make one change at a time or you won't know what is working and what isn't. Keep us posted.
Madelon, owned by DOC. DOC dx EPI 5/2015 = TLI < .4, B12 406; Folate >24. DOC taught me so much and together we battled and overcame EPI, food sensitivies, environmental allergies but we lost the cancer battle. DOC was dx with hemangiosarcoma 5/2022 and crossed the rainbow bridge July 24, 2022. He is and always will be the love of my life, my soulmate, my heart dog.

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